Snow melter

ABSTRACT

A snow melting container having as its bottom a rectangular steam jacket and as its sides vertically extending steam jackets. The side steam jackets are L-shaped and are mounted on the bottom jacket to form one end wall and two sidewalls leaving the other end of the container open. To increase the heating area of the bottom steam jacket, a number of vertically extending holes are formed through the jacket, and a baffle plate is suspended beneath the bottom jacket to catch any snow which might fall through the holes and to hold the snow until the latter melts. To divide the container into two compartments, a steam jacket is placed parallel with and midway between the portions of the Lshaped jackets forming the sides. The container is supported between the sides of a large tank and is located a predetermined distance above the bottom of the tank. A steam boiler generates steam which is piped to all the jackets under pressure and, through a valving system, the steam in the jackets is maintained at predetermined pressures.

United States Patent m1 3,577,975

[72] Inventor John F. Primary Examiner-Charles .l. Myhre 2215 7th Ave, Rockford, Ill. 61108 Attorney-Wolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit and Osann [21 1 Appl. No. 821,388 7 l 1969 gai :1 1971 ABSTRACT: A snow melting container having as its bottom a rectangular steam jacket and as its sides vertically extending steam jackets. The side steam jackets are L-shaped and are 54 N i m mounted on the bottom jacket to form .one end wall and two 7 (3m 4mm as. I sidewalls leaving theother end of the container open. To mcrease the heating area of the bottom steam acket, a number U.S. .Q of vertically exending holes are formed through the jacket [51] Int. Cl .Y. d a baffle plate is suspended beneath the bottom jacket to 50 Field of Search 126/3435, catch any smw wh'ch mush hles and the snow until the latter melts. To divide the container into 343-5 37/12 two compartments, a steam jacket is placed parallel with and v midway between the portions of the L-shaped jackets forming [56] w CM the sides. The container is supported between the sides of a UNITED STATES PATENTS large tank and is located a predetermined distance above the 145,566 12/1873 Hart l26/343.5X bottom of the tank. A steam boiler generates steam which is 540,026 5/1895 Piatti 126/34 5 piped to all the jackets under pressure and, through a valving 397,601 9/1908 Denemark.... 126/3435 system, the steam in the jackets is maintained at predeter- 2,l30,455 9/l938 Cain 126/3435 mined pressures.

snow MELTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for melting snow and ice which has fallen onto city streets, airport runways, parking lots and the like. More particularly the invention is related to the type of snow melting device which is mounted on a wheeled vehicle and then moved along the street. As the vehicle moves along, snow and ice scraped off the street is placed into the device and melted. The resulting water is either allowed to run into the gutter or is dumped periodically into a sewer drain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel portable, snow melter for melting snow and ice in a more efficient and less expensive manner than has been possible with devices heretofore available.

It is a related object to accomplish the above through the utilization of steam to directly heat a large melting surface.

It is a further related object to melt the snow and ice in a container formed by a horizontal bottom steam jacket and a number of vertically extending steam jackets positioned on the horizontal jacket to create a container open at the top and one end so as to present to the snow and ice a broad expanse of jacket surface area directly heated by steam under pressure to increase the efiicient use of the steam in melting the snow and ice.

It is a further object to increase the heating efficiency of the bottom jacket and and to expedite the run off of melted snow and ice by forming vertically extending holes through the bottom jacket.

It is still another object of the invention to mount the snow melting container in a manner which makes the container portable, protects persons near the container from the heat, and reduces the amount of heat wasted in needlessly heating the water which results from melted snow and ice.

It is a related object to accomplish the above by supporting the container within a portable covered tank and by positioning the container a predetermined distance above the bottom of the tank and between the sides of the tank.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation with parts broken away'of a new and improved snow melting device embodying the novel features of the present invention and showing the snow melting device mounted on a trailer.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section of a portion of the container and taken substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a snow melter (FIG. 1) here shown mounted for movement on a trailer 11 which is pulled by a towing vehicle (not shown). In many cities during the winter, the snow and ice are pushed to the side of the streets and left in piles, and this is also true of parking lots, airport runways and the like. The snow and ice can be disposed of by being placed in and melted by the snow melter as the latter is pulled along the street on the trailer, the resulting water being drained when necessary into the sewer.

In accordance with the present invention, steam under pressure is applied directly to the surfaces used to heat the snow and ice, and the surfaces are arranged in such a manner that a large heating surface is created in a simple way to melt a large quantity of snow and ice in a short time at relatively low cost. For these purposes, a container 12 (FIGS. 1 to 4) with a bottom, two sides and one end wall is formed by a number of individual steam jackets 13 in which steam under pressure is delivered, the container being supported within a tank 14. Snow and ice are scooped up from the street and placed within the container against the jackets to be melted by the heat of the steam within the jackets. In this manner, the snow melter can melt large quantities of snow and ice rapidly and comparatively inexpensively.

In the present instance, the container 12 is formed by a rectangular bottom steam jacket 13a (FIG. 2) and a pair of vertically disposed L-shaped steam jackets 13b mounted on and welded to the upper surface 15 (FIG. 4) of the bottom jacket along the edge portions of both the sides and the front (FIG. 1). The ends of the short legs of each L-shaped jacket abut and are welded together so that the short lets form the forward end wall of the container. A fourth or center steam jacket (FIG. 2) is mounted on and extends vertically from the upper surface of the bottom jacket along the longitudinal center line of the bottom jacket to divide the container into two equal compartments 12a and 12b each open at the rear and top.

The steam jackets 13 are formed by flat spaced apart sidewalls 16 (FIG. 4) connected at the ends by curved end members 17. This arrangement creates a single large steam chamber 18 within each jacket. To reinforce the jackets and protect against the sidewalls being pushed outwardly by the steam pressure, rods 19 extend between the inside faces of the walls and are welded to the latter.

For support, mobility, and housing, the container 12 is mounted in the tank 14, and the tank is mounted on the trailer 11 to collect and hold the water 14a (FIG. 1) which results from melting the snow and ice. The tank is a large metal container with a bottom 20 (FIG. 3), sidewalls 21 and front and rear walls 22 (FIG. 1). An arched roof 23 (FIG. 3) is fastened to the tops of the tank walls and is removable to allow access to the interior of the tank. The bottom of the tank is formed with recesses 25 (FIG. 3) which extend longitudinally along both sides of the tank. When the tank is to be placed on the trailer or removed from the latter, jacks 26 are placed under the recesses, and the tank is raised to allow the trailer to be moved under or removed from beneath the tank as the case may be. The container 12 is supported between the sidewalls 21 of the tank a fixed distance above the bottom 20 of the tank. To support the container, a pair of angles 27 (FIG. 1) extend laterally across the tank and are welded to the sidewalls of the tank. The container is seated on and welded to the anglcs.

To increase the effective heating area of the bottom steam jacket 13a, a series of holes 29 (FIGS. 2 and 4) are fonned vertically through the bottom jacket. These holes are formed by welding rings 30 (FIG. 4) between the walls 16 of the jacket, and these rings also act as reinforcing for the jacket. The holes are of a diameter large enough that some snow and ice will fall through as the snow and ice is placed in the container 12. To catch the snow and ice which falls through the holes, a baffle plate 31 (FIG. 4) in the form of a corrugated sheet is welded to the underside of the angles 27 and extends beneath the entire bottom jacket. The snow and ice which falls through the holes is held on the baffle plate until the heat from the bottom jacket melts such snow and ice. The resulting water can run along the valleys 32 formed by the corrugations and pass beneath the angles to drain into the tank 14.

The water 14a resulting from the melting of the snow and ice .is collected in the bottom portion of the tank 14. When the water reaches a certain level, the trailer 11 is pulled over a sewer, and a drain 33 (FIG. 1) in the bottom rear of the tank is opened allowing the water to drain out of the tank and into the sewer. The water is always drained from the tank before the level of the water reaches the bottom of the container 12. In

this way, none of the heating capacity of the container is directly used to heat the water thus helping to maintain the high efficiency of the container in melting the snow and ice. A pair of sloped blocks 34 (FIG. I) are placed between the trailer and the tank bottom to incline the tank rearwardly and aid in draining the water.

To keep down heat loss and to protect persons near the snow melter 10, the container 12 is completely enclosed within the tank 14, and the container is spaced inwardly from the sidewalls 21 of the tank. Snow and ice are scooped up from the street as the trailer is pulled along, and the snow and ice are moved through a chute 35 (FIG. 1) by a snow blower (not shown) and into the container. The end of the chute is divided into two spouts 36 and 37 (FIG. 3), and the snow and ice can be deflected by a movable baffle (not shown) to pass through one or the other. From FIG. 3, it will be observed that the spouts empty into the two compartments 12a and 12b of the container. First, one compartment is filled by deflecting all the snow and ice through one spout and, as the snow and ice are melting in that compartment, the incoming snow and ice are deflected through the other spout into the other compartment. Because there are two compartments, the distance between the walls 16 of the center steam jacket 13c is greater than the distance between the walls 16 of the L-shaped steam jackets 13b. This additional thickness gives the center jacket a greater capacity for steam and thus a greater heating capacity. Similarly, the bottom steam jacket 13a is of greater heating capacity than the L-shaped jackets.

The container 12 is shown here with the rear end open and with the spouts 36 and 37 directing the snow and ice through the rear of the container and forwardly against the forward end wall for ease of loading and to pile the snow and ice against the maximum amount of heating surface. It will be understood that a steam jacket could be placed across the open rear end of the container if the container were to be loaded directly from the top. In the preferred embodiment, the top of the tank 14 is covered, but the top 23 could be removed in small units or in units which are to be hand loaded.

To support a boiler 40 (FIG. I) for generating steam, the bottom 20 of the tank 14 extends forwardly (FIG. 1) beyond the front wall 22 of the tank. The boiler for generating the steam used to heat the container is fastened to this extension thus giving a complete snow melting unit mounted on one frame (the tank). While the boiler can be tired with any normal fuel, liquid petroleum gas is preferred for ease of handling, mobility, and economy. A series of steam lines 41 extends from the boiler to the steam jackets l3, and a valve 42 in each line regulates the steam pressure in the particular steam jacket to which the line is connected. To maintain steam pressure in each jacket at or near a predetermined level, the valves 42 are the type which allow passage of steam into the chambers 18 of the steam jackets until a predetermined pressure is reached in the chambers, whereupon the valves close until the pressure drops below the predetermined pres sure. Because of the different sizes of the steam jackets, different steam pressures are maintained in the different steam jackets. For example, the pressure in the bottom jacket 13a and the center jacket 13c could be 6 p.s.i. while the pressure in the L-shaped jackets 13b could be 4 psi. A nonretum steam system is used in this instance. That is, when the steam condenses in the jackets, the condensate is not returned to the boiler but is emptied out of the jackets through a drain 44 (FIG. 1) and drain lines 45. Make up water can be supplied to the boiler from either an external source or from the water collected in the bottom of the tank 14. Clean out openings capped with plugs 46 (FIGS. 1 to 4) are located on each jacket.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that the formation of the container 12 with steam jackets I3 is a particularly advantageous arrangement for melting snow and ice in a quick and economical manner. With this arrangement, steam is directed against large heating surfaces (the walls I6 of the jackets) and the heat is utilized in an efficient manner to melt he snow and ice. With the container mounted in the tank 14 and the boiler 40 mounted at the forward end of the tank, the snow melter 10 is completely portable so that the melter can be mounted on a trailer for use and then left in a storage area when not in use thereby to free the trailer for other duties.

Iclaim:

l. A snow melting device comprising, in combination, a tank having a bottom and sidewalls and adapted to be mounted on a wheeled vehicle, a drain on said tank, a removable roof over said tank and mounted on said sidewalls, a boiler operable to generate steam and mounted at one end of said tank, snow melting means adapted to have snow placed therein and mounted in said tank and supported between said sidewalls a fixed distance above said bottom, said means comprising a generally horizontally extending rectangular steam jacket, said jacket having a number of holes extending generally vertically therethrough to increase the effective heating area of said jacket, a baffle plate suspended beneath said jacket to catch snow falling through said holes, a number of generally vertically extending steam jackets positioned on said horizontal jacket and coacting with the latter to form a container having a bottom, two sidewalls, and an end wall, means for moving snow from a position outside said tank into said container, a number of steam lines connected between said boiler and said jackets to deliver steam under pressure from said boiler to said jackets to heat the latter, and pressure regulating valves in said lines to maintain the steam in each of said jackets at a predetermined pressure whereby snow can be deposited in said container and melted with the resulting water being drained from said container and collected in said tank.

2. A snow melting device comprising, in combination, a generally horizontally extending steam jacket of rectangular shape, two generally vertically positioned and L-shaped steam jackets mounted on said horizontal jacket and coacting with the latter to form a container having a bottom, one end wall and two sidewalls in which snow can be placed, a boiler for generating steam, and steam lines connected between said boiler and said jackets for delivering steam under pressure into said jackets whereby said container is heated and snow placed in said container is melted in an efficient manner.

3. The device of claim 2 in which a third vertically extending steam jacket is positioned on said horizontal jacket generally parallel to said sidewalls to divide said container into two compartments whereby said compartments may be filled with snow in an alternating fashion so that one compartment can be used to melt snow as the other is filled' 4. The device of claim 2 in which a number of spaced vertical holes are formed through said horizontally extending steam jacket to increase the effective heating area of said horizontally extending jacket.

5. The device of claim 4 in which a baffle plate is suspended beneath said horizontal jacket to catch any snow falling through said holes and to hold the snow until the snow is melted by the heat from the horizontal jacket.

6. The device of claim 2 further including a tank having a bottom and vertically extending sidewalls, said container being supported between said tank sidewalls a fixed distance above said tank bottom and inwardly from said tank sidewalls so that, as the snow is melted, the resulting water is collected in said tank.

7. The device of claim 6 in which the bottom of said tank extends beyond one of said sidewalls and said boiler is mounted on the extended portion of said bottom to form a single portable unit with said tank and said container. 

1. A snow melting device comprising, in combination, a tank having a bottom and sidewalls and adapted to be mounted on a wheeled vehicle, a drain on said tank, a removable roof over said tank and mounted on said sidewalls, a boiler operable to generate steam and mounted at one end of said tank, snow melting means adapted to have snow placed therein and mounted in said tank and supported between said sidewalls a fixed distance above said bottom, said means comprising a generally horizontally extending rectangular steam jacket, said jacket having a number of holes extending generally vertically therethrough to increase the effective heating area of said jacket, a baffle plate suspended beneath said jacket to catch snow falling through said holes, a number of generally vertically extending steam jackets positioned on said horizontal jacket and coacting with the latter to form a container having a bottom, two sidewalls, and an end wall, means for moving snow from a position outside said tank into said container, a number of steam lines connected between said boiler and said jackets to deliver steam under pressure from said boiler to said jackets to heat the latter, and pressure regulating valves in said lines to maintain the steam in each of said jackets at a predetermined pressure whereby snow can be deposited in said container and melted with the resulting water being drained from said container and collected in said tank.
 2. A snow melting device comprising, in combination, a generally horizontally extending steam jacket of rectangular shape, two generally vertically positioned and L-shaped steam jackets mounted on said horizontal jacket and coacting with the latter to form a container having a bottom, one end wall and two sidewalls in which snow can be placed, a boiler for generating steam, and steam lines connected between said boiler and saId jackets for delivering steam under pressure into said jackets whereby said container is heated and snow placed in said container is melted in an efficient manner.
 3. The device of claim 2 in which a third vertically extending steam jacket is positioned on said horizontal jacket generally parallel to said sidewalls to divide said container into two compartments whereby said compartments may be filled with snow in an alternating fashion so that one compartment can be used to melt snow as the other is filled.
 4. The device of claim 2 in which a number of spaced vertical holes are formed through said horizontally extending steam jacket to increase the effective heating area of said horizontally extending jacket.
 5. The device of claim 4 in which a baffle plate is suspended beneath said horizontal jacket to catch any snow falling through said holes and to hold the snow until the snow is melted by the heat from the horizontal jacket.
 6. The device of claim 2 further including a tank having a bottom and vertically extending sidewalls, said container being supported between said tank sidewalls a fixed distance above said tank bottom and inwardly from said tank sidewalls so that, as the snow is melted, the resulting water is collected in said tank.
 7. The device of claim 6 in which the bottom of said tank extends beyond one of said sidewalls and said boiler is mounted on the extended portion of said bottom to form a single portable unit with said tank and said container. 